Man convicted in 2013 fatal beating eligible for parole

Published 7:52 am, Friday, September 16, 2016

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines man whose 50-year prison sentence for second-degree murder was overturned earlier this year could be free soon after he agreed to a plea deal.

Kent Anthony Tyler was convicted in 2013 in the death of Richard Daughenbaugh who was fatally beaten after joining a gathering of teens and young adults in downtown Des Moines in August 2013.

Witnesses say Tyler, now 21, punched Daughenbaugh knocking him to the ground. Tyler claims he was defending himself.

Tyler's conviction was overturned when the Iowa Court of Appeals concluded last year jurors had insufficient evidence to convict.

The Des Moines Register reports (http://dmreg.co/2cKZq7z ) instead of a retrial, prosecutors offered Tyler a willful injury plea which carries a 10-year sentence. With credit for time spent in prison he's eligible for parole.